Apparatus for separating and saving precious metals



(No Model.)

2 SheetsSheet 1 G. GRIESGHE. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND SAVING PRECIOUS METALS. No. 599,701.

Patented Mar 1, 1898.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 9. GRIE'SGHE. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND SAVING PREOIOUSMETALS. No. 599,701. Patented Mar. 1, 1898.

m: ymnms PErERs o0. mmuufua. WASHINGTON. n. :4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV GRIESCIIE, OF EAST BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

'APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND SAVING PRECIOUS METALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,701, dated March 1, 1898.

Application filed October '7, 1897.

T00 whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV GRIESOHE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at East Berkeley, county of Alameda, State of California,haveinvented an Improvement in Apparatus for Separating and Saving Precious Metals; and I hereby declare the following to be a fulljclear, and exact description of the same.

Myinvention relates to an apparatus which is designed to separate valuable heavy or precious metals from sand, gravel, or other gangue with which they may be found associated in a free condition.

My invention consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 shows an end view of the preliminary separator and aside elevation and partial section of one of the troughs. Fig. 2 is a sectional view'taken at right angles with Fig. 1 through the troughs. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the troughs.

A suitable frameworkA is provided, upon which the apparatus is mounted, and in the upper part across one end is journaled a cylinder B, consisting of heads between which extends a screen or network which forms the body of the cylinder. This screen is tapered slightly from one end to the other, so that as it is rotated the materialwill gradually ad- .vance toward the larger end by reason of the slight inclination of the lower part of the surface. Oontinuing beyond this end is a hollow unperforated section B, which is in the form of two cones with their bases together, the smaller end of one cone forming a continuation of the cylinder 13 and the smaller end of the other the discharge through which the lighter and worthless material passes. This part may be otherwise constructed, the object being to form an enlarged annular chamber within which any heavy material which passes beyond the end of the screen portionmay be collected.

0 is a hopper or receiver into which the material is first placed and from which it is delivered by chutes D into the adjacent ends of the cylinders B, the receiving ends of which are so located that both can be fed at once by means of the delivery-chutes, as shown.

In front of or with suitable relation to the Serial No. 654,394. (No model.)

serves to collect the material which falls through the cylinder and carry it to deliverychutes G.

The lighter and coarser material which does not pass through the screen is, as before described,discharged through the annular chamber B, and by reason of the peculiar shape of these sections the heavier material which may have reached this point, butwhich is too large to pass through the screen, will settle into the enlarged channel formed by the meeting of the bases of these cones and will there remain, gradually accumulating, while the lighter material will flow out over this material which fills the cone and will discharge at the outer end. Any gold or valuable heavy material will settle into the apex formed by the meeting bases of the cones and can be removed whenever a sufficient amount has accumulated.

The material which passes through the screen-surface B and is concentrated by the collecting-trough F is discharged through a plurality of chutes G into the receiving ends of troughs II, of which there may be as many as can be supplied from each of the screencylinders B. In the present case I have shown an arrangement of two for each cylinder, and these troughs are preferably made elliptical in transverse section,the major axis being horizontal and the minor axis vertical, so that when oscillated they exert a peculiar agitating effect upon the contained material. These troughs are mounted or supported upon central horizontal shafts I, which pass through them from end to end at about the line where major and minor axes cross and are provided with an independent series of agitating propeller-blades J, fixed to the shafts at intervals from one end to the other. Intermediate between these sectional blades are crescent-shaped diaphragms K, extending transversely across the troughs, having the deepest portion at the bottom and curving upwardly toward the sides, as shown. These diaphragms separate the troughs into independent sections, within each of which a propellersection J is revoluble. The troughs II have their outer or discharge ends raised slightly above the receiving ends and open to any desired degree to allow the surplus material to discharge. The receiving ends are closed, so that no discharge or flow will take place in that direction.

The incline at which the troughs are set is regulated by raising or lowering the outer ends of the trough. This is effected by means of a slotted hanger L, to which the outer end of the trough is suspended by a bolt or bolts passing through the hanger and through the end plate of the trough or an arm serving for thepurpose. Thehangerislooselysuspended from the shaft I by means of a sleeve L, of which it forms an extension. By this construction it will be seen that by loosening the holding-bolt the outer end of the trough may be raised or depressed and the amount of incline thus regulated.

Beneath the outer end of the trough is a discharge-chute M, into which the material which flows over the outer partition is received and by which it is delivered to any suitable receptacle. As this receiving-chute may sometimes become clogged and it may be necessary to clear it, I have shown it as fulcrumed at N and having connected with it a bell-crank lever O, the lower end of which is fixed or held by a pin P when the chute is in its normal position.

If it is desired to clean the chute, it is done by disengaging the arm of the lever 0 from its stop P and moving it so as to turn the chute into the essentially vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the short arm of the bel1-crank lever acting upon lugs or pivots Q, which are fixed to the chute and by which it is moved.

In order to keep the material in a loose suspended condition within the troughs H, these troughs are so arranged as to be oscillated from side to side, while at the same time the propeller or agitating blades J are revolving within the compartments which they occupy. The troughs being practically journaled or supported upon the shaft I, I have shown as a means for oscillating and agitating a series of them which stand parallel with each other a rod R, which is connected with the bottom of each trough H by a suitable sleeve S, havin g u pwardly-proj ectin g lugs to connect with corresponding lugs upon the troughs. A sleeve S is fixed upon the shaft R, and with this is connected a pitman T. The opposite end of this pitman connects with a crank-pin upon the wheel U, which is fixed to the driving-shaft V, through which power is applied to rotate the disk U, and thus to reciprocate the shaft R and through its connections to oscillate the troughs II about their central lines of support. The amount of throw and consequent oscillation is regulated by means of an adjusting-slot U, formed transversely across the faces of the disk U and into which the head of the crank-pin is adjustably secured. By moving this crank-pin to or from the center of rotation of the disk it will be seen that the throw may be changed and the amount of oscillation of the troughs correspondingly varied. As the troughs oscillate about the central shaft I, upon which the propeller-blades J are mounted,itwill be seen that the rotation of these blades is from the center of oscillation of the troughs, and the two movements combine to maintain the sand or pulp within the compartments in a loose or suspended condition in the water which is supplied with the sand or pulp. The form of the troughs and the alternate dropping or receding of the sides about the suspending axis produce a peculiar suction-like action upon the contained material, aided by its inertia, and this keeps the pulp or sand constantly loosened up. This action allows the heavier valuable material to settle in each of the compartments, and the diaphragms K prevent all but the lighter portion passing from end to end of the trough. The upward inclination of the trough from the inner to the outer end also materially assists in settling the heavier material. The larger and heavier particles will be first deposited near the receiving end of the trough, and any lighter or float gold will be carried on and evenly deposited in the subsequent compartmentsbefore the end of the trough is reached.

A sufficient supply of water is delivered into each of the troughs by means of branches E, leading from the main supply-pipe and discharging, respectively, into the troughs.

By reason of the inclination of the troughs and the height of the partition at the outer end there will always remain a considerable quantity of water within the troughs, and only the surplus and lighter material will be eventually carried out therefrom. In addition, this water always keeps the sand or pulp in a soft condition, so that if the apparatus is temporarily stopped it can easily be started again and soon be in full operation.

Various connections of mechanism may be employed to cause the apparatus to run in unison. In the present case I have shown a belt-pulley WV fixed upon the shaft V. Power is transmitted from these through sprocketwheels and connecting-chains, as shown at X, to a counter-shaft, and this again transmits power through sprocket-wheels and connecting-chain, as shown at Y, to drive the propeller-shaft I. A chain Z from a sprocketwheel upon this shaft serves to drive a shaft a, and through bevel-gearing Z) poweris transmitted upon this shaft to rotate the cylinder B. The propeller-blades J may be made in any suitable or desired form to produce the required result. In the present case I have shown these blades being made in sections di- 7 verging radially from the shaft outwardly to the inner periphery of the trough, and the sections are slightly advanced with relation to each other, so that while each blade acts to agitate the material within its own compartment of the trough it does not exert any great amount of driving force to propel the material from one compartment to the other, excepting the last propeller of the series, and this forms a continuous spiral and acts to discharge the material from the last compartment over the end partition.

The arrangement of the apparatus here shown is very effective for the purpose required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

- 1. An apparatus for separating heavy valuable material from the lighter gangue and concentrating the same, consisting of a tapering revolving screen mounted upon a horizontal shaft, means for supplying the material to be separated to said screen, a semicircular stationary collecting-trough surrounding the lower part of the screen having dischargechutes opening from it, one or more oscillatj ing compartment-troughs supported below and at right angles with the screen, a shaft passing longitudinally through each trough and upon which the latter is pivotally hung,

means for oscillating the trough and independent agitating-blades mounted on said shaft and revoluble independently within the separate compartments of the troughs.

'- 2: An apparatus for separating heavy valuable material from the lighter gangue and concentrating the same, consisting of a tapering revolublescreen mounted upon a horizontal shaft, means for supplying the material to be separated to said screen, a semicircular stationary collecting trough surrounding the lower part of the screen having dischargechutes opening from it, a series of oscillating troughs inclined upwardly from the receiving toward the discharge ends, said troughs divided into separate compartments and having independent agitating-blades mounted upon a longitudinally centrally disposed shaft and revoluble independentlywithin the compartments, and means for varying the inclination of the troughs. Y

3. An apparatus for separating valuable heavy material from associated gangue and concentrating the separated material, consistin g of a rotary tapering screen, and means for supplying the material to be separated to the smaller end of said screen, an enlarged annular; chamber formed at the discharge end through which the material passes and within which any heavy materialwill be arrested, a semicylindrical closed connecting-receiver into which material passing through the screen'is received, and chutes from which it is delivered therefrom, troughs extending at right angles and below the rotary screens into the receiving endof which the chutes discharge, segmental" diaphragm's 'fixed transversely at intervals from one end to-the other of the trough, sectional radially-fixed independent blades revoluble in each of the compartments formed between the sections, a mechanism whereby the outer ends of the troughs maybe raised and the elevation above the receiving ends adjusted, means for osci1-. lating the troughs about the central shaft upon which the propeller-blades are mounted and a regulating discharge-chute at the outer end of the troughs.

4. In an apparatus for separating valuable heavy material from associated gangue and afterward concentrating said material, a plurality of screens increasing in diameter from one end to the other, means for supplying the material to be separated to the smaller ends, annular channels of larger diameter forming a continuation beyond the larger ends and adapted to retain any heavy material which may have reached that point, semicylindrical receivers situated beneath the screenswith discharge directing chutes opening therefrom, troughs into which said chutes discharge, said troughs extending outwardly at essentially right angles from the rotary cylinders, and having shafts extending through them with independent radial propellerblades mounted thereon, segmental partitions separating the troughs into compartments in each of which one of the propellers is operative, means for oscillating the troughs about the central shafts upon which they are supported, consisting of a rod slidable transversely beneath the troughs, means for flexibly connecting the rod with the troughs, a rotary crank-shaft and pitman, and meansfor connecting the pitman with the rod whereby troughs are simultaneously oscillated.

5. In an apparatus for concentrating valuable heavymaterial, one or more troughs havin g segmental partitions extending across and forming compartments from end to end of the troughs, rotary shafts extending axially through the troughs from end to end and forming a support from which the troughs are suspended, propeller-blades fixed to the shaft and rotating independently in each of the compartments, a transversely slidable rod extending beneath the series of troughs having a connection between itself and each of them, a pitman connecting the said rod at one end and at the other end connecting with a disk fixed upon the driving-shaft, said disk being slotted transversely and having a pitman crank-pin adj ustably secured in the slot, whereby the amount of oscillation of all the troughs is simultaneously increased or decreased.

6. In an apparatus for separating valuable- ICC ing material to be separated at the inner ends, collecting semicylindrical troughs beneath the screens with chutes to deliver the material therefrom,compartment-troughs situated below and extending at right angles with the rotation of the screens, shafts upon which said troughs are suspended and adjustable, said shafts having propellenblades independently and radially fixed thereon within each of the compartments, a means for simultaneously oscillating the troughs about their points of suspension and regulating the' amount of oscillation, a connected mechanism consisting of a main driving-shaft, intermediate counter-shafts with chains and sprocketwheels whereby motion is communicated simultaneously to the propeller-shafts, and means for a regulated supply of water to the apparatus.

7. An apparatus for concentrating heavy valuable material consisting of troughs in the form of a segment of an ellipse with horizontal major axis, said troughs closed at the receiving end and having a discharge at the opposite end, transverse segmental partitions by which the troughs are separated into i-ndependent compartments, a journaled rotating shaft extending longitudinally through the intersection of the major and minor axis of the trough, means for loosely suspending the trough therefrom, means for oscillating the trough transversely about said shaft, and blades independently and radially fixed upon the shaft and rotating within each of the compartments of the trough.

8. An apparatus for concentrating heavy valuable material consisting of a trough or troughs closed at the receiving end having segmental transverse partitions dividing it into independent compartments and having a discharge at the opposite end, said trough being an elliptical segment in cross-section with the major axis essentially horizontal, a revolubly-journaled shaft extending through the intersection of the major and minor axis, propeller-blades fixed upon said shaft and revoluble in each of the compartments of the trough whereby material is advanced from the receiving toward the discharge end ,means for suspending the trough from the shaft so that it inclines upwardly from the receiving toward the discharge end, and mechanism whereby the trough is oscillated transversely about the suspending-shaft.

9. An apparatus for concentrating heavy valuable material consisting of a trough or troughs closed at the receiving end having segmental transverse partitions dividing it into independent compartments and having a discharge at the opposite end, said trough being an elliptical segment in cross-section with the major axis essentially horizontal, a revolubly-journaled shaft extending through the intersection of the major and minor axis, propeller-blades fixed upon said shaft and revoluble in each of the compartments of the trough whereby material is advanced from the receiving toward the discharge end,means for suspending the trough from the shaft so that it inclines upwardly from the receiving toward the discharge end, mechanism whereby the trough is oscillated transversely about the suspending-shaft, and means for regulating the angle of inclination of the trough.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GUSTAV GRIESCHE. Witnesses: I

S. H. NOURSE, JEssIE O. Bnonm. 

